when the night's done
by queen-sheep
Summary: A tale in three acts.


_For QLFC S6R10_

 _Prompt: Write about a death at a wedding, birthday party or other similarly happy occasion._

 _Optional prompts: (word) objection, (word) poisonous, (pairing) Andromeda Black/ Ted Tonks_

* * *

 _I._

Andromeda stared down at the neatly folded paper in her hand, astonishment clear in her expression.

Ted, making her a lovely dinner by the oven, glanced over at her. "What's wrong, dear?"

Instead of responding, she simply flipped the card over and held it up for him to read himself. Ted blinked, rubbed his eyes, and then stared at the card again.

"Did Bellatrix just RSVP to our wedding?" he asked.

Andromeda nodded slowly. "Not only Bellatrix," she said. "Cissy as well." She rifled through the giant pile of envelopes residing on their kitchen table before pulling out an identical cream envelope.

Ted's brow furrowed. "Didn't they both say that they were never speaking to you again?"

The words still sent a pang through her heart. It had been shortly after she whispered to Bellatrix and Narcissa that Ted had proposed to her. She had been entirely caught up in the moment, too elated to recognize the growing horror on her sisters faces.

Bellatrix had grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her all the way to the sitting room before outing her to her parents. She had been exiled from the family on the spot and cast from the house.

She knew they had objected to her dating him, but she supposed they all thought it was a momentary thing, a rebellious act in order to gain more attention as the invisible middle child, and so they had reluctantly allowed it. This, though—this was concrete.

Ted had opened his door the night he proposed to her to a sobbing fiancee and had taken her in without another thought. That had been months ago.

"Maybe they want to repair ties?" Ted suggested.

Andromeda bit her lip and shook her head. She loved him, but he still had a hard time wrapping his head around pureblood family dynamics. There was simply no way. "They're definitely up to something," she said, troubled.

Ted came around to wrap his arms around her, loosely encircling her. Andromeda leaned back on his chest and sighed.

"So, what should we do then?" he asked.

"I'll think about it," Andromeda said, massaging her temple. "Meanwhile, why don't I help you plate up the food? It smells delicious!"

But in between planning an entire wedding, the matter completely slipped her mind. It was something she would come to regret, later.

.

.

.

 _II._

It could not be more obvious that the two purebloods were out of place. Narcissa and Bellatrix stood, back straight and chins in the air, along the fringes of the party.

The wedding ceremony had gone off without a hitch, and now the masses were drinking, partying, and generally making a loud ruckus at the reception. It was like school all over again.

The picture in front of her was so different from Bellatrix's wedding, Narcissa mused wistfully. Bellatrix's wedding had been infinitely more elegant, reserved, and _indoors_ most of all. It had been a pureblood wedding in the truest sense, in which other pureblood families mingled and chatted in opulence and wealth. Nothing like _this_. Narcissa swatted, annoyed, at a mosquito that had made its way onto her arm before tugging her robes closer around her.

"How long are you planning on waiting?" she hissed under her breath. She was tired and sweltering under her thick robes and not at all happy to be dragged along her sister's harebrained plans like this. She had been perfectly happy never speaking to Andromeda again.

"Patience, sister," Bellatrix said, sipping at her wine. "Opportunity comes to those who wait."

Narcissa sighed, eyes fixed firmly on Andromeda's laughing face, lit up in delight as she danced with her new husband. Doubt wormed itself into her mind and she shoved it firmly back. They weren't here to make nice. They were here to fix Andy's mistakes.

When they received the wedding invitation, Bellatrix had been beside herself with rage. "The _audacity_ of it all!" she had screamed. It had taken her an entire week of ravaging and wrecking Andromeda's old room before she finally calmed down.

At the end of it her tantrum, all that remained was a simmering fury. "I'm going to the wedding," Bellatrix said, very simply, "and I'm going to poison Ted Tonks."

.

.

.

 _III._

The night was still young but the time was approaching.

Bellatrix grabbed two glasses of wine from the table, gesturing to Narcissa to grab the other two. Slowly, they meandered through the crowd to make their way to the happy couple.

"Get ready," Bellatrix muttered under her breath to Narcissa. The vial of poison was hidden away in Narcissa's robes. Bellatrix would command attention and distract the two of them, while Narcissa subtly put the poison in. The plan was simple, but effective.

As they drew closer, Andromeda spotted them over _his_ shoulder and her entire face lit up, the way it did when Bellatrix used to sneak Narcissa and her treats as kids. But she hardened her heart against it and allowed her anger to consume her.

Outwardly, she knew she looked genuine and happy. Bellatrix had always been a good actor and a good liar.

"Bella! Cissy!" Andromeda said, beaming. She stumbled over to them and threw her arms around both of them at once. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"Careful of the drinks!" Bellatrix said.

"Oh, Merlin, my bad!" Andy said, extricating herself from them. "Is this for us?"

"Yes!" Narcissa said, a little too quickly. Bellatrix winced.

"A toast to the new couple," Bellatrix said. She kept her smile fixed firmly on her face and her shoulders slouched, as if relaxed and tipsy.

Andy, dizzy with laughter and happiness, hadn't noticed a thing. She had never been able to hold her drink well, and it was showing through tonight of all nights.

She should know better than to let her guard down.

Narcissa handed the poisonous glass of wine to Ted before the four of them clinked glasses and took a sip. Bellatrix watched his reaction carefully, making sure that the poison was doing its work.

But five minutes passed and nothing happened.

What had gone wrong? The poison was a quick acting one. Ted Tonks should have been writhing on the floor by now. Bellatrix eyed Narcissa, who couldn't seem to meet her eyes. The dots connected in her head at the same time there was a loud gasp from one of the guests on the far end of the venue. When they looked over, a crowd had formed around a man lying on the ground, his face strained and purple.

Andromeda and her new husband rushed over in concern, while Narcissa and Bellatrix stayed behind.

"What did you do," Bellatrix said coldly.

"I-I-I," Narcissa stammered. "I couldn't do it. She looked so _happy_." Tears started to form in her eyes and slip down her face.

Oh, _please_. Her sister was far too sentimental. And now everything was ruined.

Bellatrix glanced over at the commotion again, and amongst the shouts for someone to call St. Mungo's, she and Andromeda met eyes. Bellatrix tracked the slow realization on Andromeda's face as she took in Bellatrix's stoic expression and the crying Narcissa standing beside her. Rage and shock bloomed over her face.

Bellatrix grabbed Narcissa by the wrist and tugged. "Come on," she said. "I think we've overstayed our welcome."

They slunk into the shadows and apparated home. Tonight, a man would die, and they wouldn't be anywhere near the scene when it happened.


End file.
